Coming full circle
By KRISTI ALBERTSON
Distinctive Countertops and Cabinetry nearly triples work space
The Daily Inter Lake
Sometimes progress means returning to the starting point.
That's what Randy and Wanda Hinzman, owners of Distinctive Countertops and Cabinetry, have discovered. In 20 years of business, they've gone from a small operation with two men and a pickup truck to an installation company with a global presence. In recent years, they've come full circle and are once again focusing their attention on projects close to home.
"We did a 360," Wanda said. "What goes around comes around is really true in this case."
But zeroing in on the Flathead Valley hasn't inhibited Distinctive Countertops' growth. In fact, the company is preparing to expand. By the end of the year, the Hinzmans will move into a new shop on Rocky Cliff Lane, just off U.S. 93 South.
The new facility will be nearly triple the size of the existing 6,000-square-foot building on West Montana Street in Kalispell. Most of the building - 10,200 square feet - will be devoted to production. The remaining 7,600 square feet will be used for offices, storage and a new showroom.
"We're very excited about it," Randy Hinzman said.
More space means room for more jobs. The Hinzmans hope to add 10 or 12 people to the 16 they already employ.
The state Department of Commerce awarded Distinctive Countertops a $400,000 grant because of those new positions. The Community Development Block Grant Economic Development Program is designed to stimulate economic activity by helping private businesses create or retain jobs in low- to moderate-income communities.
Looking back on their business history, though, even 16 employees seems like an impressive workforce. When the company, then called Northwest Installations, began in 1986, it consisted of Randy, one partner and a pickup.
"We were really excited when we hired our first employee and there were three of us," Wanda Hinzman said. "We thought we died and went to heaven."
THEY GOT their start installing seating and decor packages for fast-food restaurants. The operation slowly expanded, and eventually Hinzman and his partner were able to hire crews and take jobs all over the world.
They did work for major department stores, national restaurant chains, hospitals, schools and homes across the country. Crews went to work in South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Pacific Rim.
"It was a fun opportunity," Wanda said.
The drawback was the amount of time spent away from home. Sometimes crews were gone for three or four weeks at a time, she said.
Eventually, all the travel became wearing, and the Hinzmans decided to switch directions. They opened a fabrication shop in 1998 and stopped accepting global contracts.
There was more than enough to keep them busy in Northwest Montana, Randy said. The Flathead Valley - and their children - were growing. Both factored into the decision to keep the business closer to home.
"I wanted to be a guy that had a job here in the valley and went home for dinner every night," he said. "Just a regular guy, so to speak."
"It's ironic how we came back around full circle after all the traveling," his wife added.
It's also ironic that it's now, after all the world traveling is finished, that Distinctive Countertops is getting a new, larger building. In addition to having extra space, the Hinzmans will be able to cut their own granite at the new facility, a task they've always had to subcontract in the past.
It will be a boon for builders, Randy said. Counter and cabinet installations are typically one of the last pieces of house-building. By the time the Hinzmans' crews arrive at the end of the project - which typically already has suffered delays - people are more than ready for the house to be finished.
Taking care of the stone-cutting in-house will slash as much as three weeks from the time it has taken in the past to finish a kitchen or bath, he said.
"To have the lead time of six days from template to install, it's great," he said.
THE NEW building will also have its own water-treatment facility. Manufacturing stone requires a great deal of water, Hinzman said, and the new facility will allow them to completely recycle all of it.
"It'll produce water clean enough to drink if you wanted to," he said. "I guess you could consider it to be a green process."
Environmentally friendly processes are increasingly important to customers who want to build with green materials, Wanda said. Today's customers are more environmentally savvy and are interested in stone made from recycled paper or glass products.
They'll be able to provide all of those options at the new shop, she said. Traditional counter materials, such as granite and Corian, will still be available as well.
"We're essentially creating a one-stop shop," Randy said. "Our goal is to deliver the best product available on time, within budget, to take that stress off the builder or homeowner."
Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com